HII (1998)

This international beat nut is the first — okay, the only — Japanese national to make the rap charts. That's not surprising when you've got help from hip-hop's finest underground new jacks (Mos Def, X-ecutioners) and its respected elders (like KRS-One, who delivers a nitro mic assault on ''Team Players''). When their rhyme skills combust with Honda's creamy-smooth, jazzy grooves on HII, it makes for a musical language that transcends cultural and geographical borders. B+